Massachusetts is a national leader when it comes to education, but its public colleges have long been treated as second-class institutions, operating in the shadows of top-notch private schools. Declining state support has some experts wondering whether Massachusetts can still afford to support four public universities.

One of this country’s largest for-profit college chains has agreed to a $49 million settlement after it was charged with misleading students. DeVry University will pay a total of $455,000 to eligible graduates in Massachusetts.

High school seniors across the country are prepping for their graduation ceremonies. At a charter school in Boston, another big day comes a few weeks earlier when seniors make their college decisions public at an emotional school-wide ceremony in front of family and friends.

Massachusetts Governor Charlie Baker and Boston Mayor Marty Walsh have partnered to launch a program that makes public college tuition-free for low-income Boston residents. Boston joins Tennessee, New York and Rhode Island in pushing for free college, but affordability advocates wonder how many students will benefit from the plan.

Household debt in the U.S. has reached a new peak north of $12.7 trillion, according to a new report by the Federal Reserve Bank of New York. Student loans account for more than 10 percent of that debt.